Joey injured himself by slipping on a yard and falling on his hip in December 2020. He was referred to Leahurst for a scintigraphy, which showed the fracture to the hip joint. He was advised to have box rest.
After 3 months, Joey wasn’t improving and walk exercise was proving difficult as he was dragging the left hind significantly.
Robin Dempsey of Agnew Equine referred him for physiotherapy in March 2022 and Joey started intensive physiotherapy and treatment as an in-patient at GKVP.
Joey made a rapid improvement, and after a month he was walking without dragging the toe and on a trot up, with Robin and myself; we were all left speechless.
Joey was then introduced into a small paddock and just 1 week later he returned home for a 3 month period to let the muscle strengthen in the field and carry out a slowly increasing walk exercise regime.
I visited him at home monthly to check progress and treat him and on each visit I could see that the muscle was getting stronger and his gait improving.
In July 2022 it was decided that Joey should return for an intensive program of physiotherapy and proprioceptive training, to get him back into work and see if we could enable him to be ridden again.
10 months later Joey has competed in his first Dressage competition coming 2nd!
Dreams can come true !! Team work prevails and hard work is rewarded.
I am so lucky to be privileged to help clients/patients and revel in their stories and progress.
I hope this story inspires you all to give yourselves a chance in adverse conditions and seek help and advise from knowledgeable people who can give you honest and educated answers.
Jenna, Joey’s owner commented; “After months of box rest and vet treatments he wasnt showing any sign of improvement and the vets were losing hope, so I called Gaby and she booked him straight in.
I took him down for a month long stay with her to see if she could help and by the time I picked him up he was able to trot happily.
A further 3 months on small paddock rest followed that, he returned to Gaby for another 5 weeks to see what kind of work he could return to.
I’m extremely happy to say that after a slow, careful and steady road we are now schooling in walk trot and canter successfully and competing in dressage competitions. He will always have a change in gait from his accident but with Gaby’s help we are able to maintain it.
I am forever thankful to Gaby for how she has saved Joey and given him the chance of a happy ridden career”.
Joey is pictured competing in his first Dressage competition, where he finished 2nd!
